Category: UK News

Will Boris be gone by April?; Indians in Germany Call For Tejasvi’s Removal From Consulate Event; UK Misses Nearly 16K Covid-19 Cases; FATF To Decide Fate of Pakistan This Month; ‘China Can’t Get Better Of Us’; India Boosts Naval Warfare Capabilities – all in Asian Lite Daily Digital

There can be no question that Boris has lost support. A poll of Conservative supporters of cabinet ministers ranked him 24^th out of 25^th, 25^th being Gavin Williamson, the education secretary and widely seen as the most incompetent minister in this, a government not noted for its competence…writes Mihir Bose

That Boris Johnson may be out of No 10 Downing Street by April was the confident forecast made a couple of weeks ago by a friend who was an MP and knows his politics. His point was the Conservative party worships power and when it feels power may be slipping away then it strikes.

Look at what happened to Mrs Thatcher. Three times  Mrs Thatcher won the Conservatives elections, each time increasing the majority and making her brand of Conservativism the dominant philosophy of our times. It still survives even though Rishi Sunak has emerged as a surprising Tory socialist. But the moment the Conservative MPs felt she had lost support she was turfed out. I was in India when Mrs Thatcher was ousted. I rang a friend of mine, the very insightful and well informed  political commentator Nigel Dudley,  and told him  that people in India could not work out how a three times winner and the dominant political figure of her age could be dethroned in such a fashion. His answer was that when Tory MPs felt they might  lose their seats in the election they acted. This ruthlessness in the Tory can never be underestimated.

When Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, is one of those speaking against the government we know Tory MPs are very restless. He is in effect the shop steward of the backbenchers and a stanch loyalist who traditionally supports the leader. When he turns against the government this has echoes of how the 1922 committee was formed. In 1922 Conservative MPs meet in the Carlton Club and decided that they did not want any longer to be part of a coalition with the Liberals. It brought down the government and in the election that followed the Conservatives came to power.

There can be no question that Boris has lost support. A poll of Conservative supporters of cabinet ministers ranked him 24^th out of 25^th, 25^th being Gavin Williamson, the education secretary and widely seen as the most incompetent minister in this, a government not noted for its competence.

Boris’s failings are easy to identify. He can be a wonderful speaker and light up a room, but he is no executive. Having been at the Daily Telegraph when he was a columnist I know how quickly he can grasp ideas. When BskyB bid for Manchester United, Boris, who had no awareness of what it meant, rang me to ask about the bid. When reading his column I was impressed by how quickly he had understood things.

But running a government, let alone during a pandemic which has posed the most horrendous issues any government has faced since the Second World War, is an entirely different matter. It requires not an ability to spin words or make jokes or show of his knowledge of ancient Greece, but skill in leading a team, consideration of the issues and the taking of decisions which will stand the test of time. You cannot make light of the pandemic by saying ‘sing happy birthday when washing your hands’ or that the aim is to squash the sombrero one minute and then give stern warnings about imposing penalties for those breaking the law the next.  The main charges against this government are that it has consistently over promised, that it has changed courses at times so bewilderingly that even Boris cannot remember what the rules are, and that it has given no indication that it is knows where it is going or how to get there. Unlike his hero Churchill he has not got a cabinet which looks capable of coping with the various issues the pandemic has thrown up. It is always behind the curve and is always apologising for mistakes; the latest a technological failure which lead to the underreporting of thousands of infections. Given all this it is not surprising that Boris Johnson is very far from being the master of all he surveys, a position he could claim when he won the election last December.

But for all the manifest faults of Boris and this government I am not entirely convinced that the country is as against him as some commentators think. In the last month I have been to middle England, that part of this land that is proud that it never changes and can always claim to speak for England.  What struck me is how, compared to London, they had taken the lockdown and all that the pandemic has brought in its wake, very much in their stride. It made me think that the common jibe thrown at us Londoners, that we live in a bubble, may not be far off the mark.

At a little market town when our friend’s car broke down the AA man who had been on furlough and was now back at work was philosophical.  “Every day is a school day”. A very cheerful way of looking at things. He was certainly not blaming Boris or the government for what had happened.

My wife and I had our first coffee in a café since the lockdown and a lady who moved from Pimlico to the shires said the pandemic had made no difference to her life.

We visited a shop in Bourton-on-water often described as the Venice of England. We were the only customers and the owner said this year not only were there no Americans but also no Chinese, and their contribution to this country’s tourist industry is now very significant. Yet she was very happy with the help dishy Rishi had given and had not a single word of criticism about how the government was doing.

Nor were any of the stall holders at the Farmers Market, despite talking about the problems they faced as a result of the pandemic, critical of Boris Johnson or the government.

In some ways it was very  revealing how Cerney Gardens, a romantic, secret, place in the Cotswolds had adjusted to Coronavirus.  The tearoom had delicious coffee walnut cakes. But no staff. You just helped yourself, wrote out what you had eaten and put the money in the honesty box. We were honest and then tried to work off our indulgence by going on a long walk.

Now, of course, these are my personal experiences and I am not saying that this means opinion polls showing Boris has lost support are wrong. But that we should not read too much into the opinion polls as we know how wrong they can be. People may be bewildered but I am not sure they want Boris to vacate No 10. Not yet anyway.

If they did of course we could by the spring have a new President in the White House and a new Prime Minister in No 10. But much as that would be welcome I think that is very unlikely. Trump has a solid base of support and Johnson, as Ken Livingstone admitted to me after he lost the London Mayor election, was the one Conservative he feared. Boris Johnson’s ability to win elections should never be underestimated. Also, the British public are not yet in a mood for change.

Boris Warns Of ‘Bumpy’ Road To Christmas And Beyond; India Bats For Global Elimination of Nukes; ‘We’re Stuck’: Intra-Afghan Talks Face Delay; CPEC has neither boosted growth nor jobs in Pakistan; India Targets 500 Mn Doses Of Vaccine – all in Asian Lite Daily Digital – please click here to read.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged the public to “act fearlessly but with common sense” while dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, the media reported on Sunday.

Speaking to the BBC, Johnson said that there had to be a “balance” between saving lives and protecting the economy.

“The best thing we can do now for all those who have suffered in the course of this pandemic is bring it to an end in the speediest possible way,” he said.

The Prime Minister told the BBC that he believed over the “next few weeks and months”, the “scientific equation will change whether that is vaccines or testing” and there will be “progress” in beating the virus.

As a result, he said there was “hope” and “things can be significantly different by Christmas”.

But, Johnson warned there could be “a very tough winter for all of us”.

“I tell you in all candour, it will continue to be bumpy through to Christmas and may even be bumpy beyond.”

His remarks came as the Conservatives on Sunday were holding their first virtual party conference due to coronavirus restrictions on mass gatherings.

The UK has so far reported 482,654 coronavirus cases and 42,407 deaths.

Also Read: UK, EU agree to intensively bridge gaps

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have “agreed the importance” of finding a post-Brexit trade deal, Downing Street has said.

They agreed progress has been made in talks between the EU and UK but “significant gaps” remain, Downing Street said, the BBC reported.

Both have instructed their chief negotiators to “work intensively” in order to try to bridge those gaps.

Negotiations between the UK and EU broke up on Friday without agreement.

Both sides are calling on the other to compromise on key issues, including fishing and government subsidies.

Johnson and von der Leyen spoke during a phone call on Saturday and agreed to speak on a regular basis.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the two had agreed on the importance of finding an agreement “as a strong basis for a strategic EU-UK relationship in future.”

The UK’s chief negotiator, Lord Frost, tweeted that work to resolve differences between the UK and EU “begins as soon as we can next week”.

Speaking earlier, while on a visit to Leeds, Johnson said he wants a deal like one struck between the EU and Canada, but reiterated the UK was ready should it have to leave without a deal.

“We’re resolved on either course, we’re prepared for either course and we’ll make it work but it’s very much up to our friends and partners,” Johnson said.

It comes after von der Leyen called for talks to “intensify”, as both sides set an October deadline to settle their differences.

Also Read: EU Warns Turkey of Sanctions Over Mediterranean

Lord Rami Ranger CBE, former chairman of the Conservative Friends of India, comments on the newly formed Conservative Friends of Kashmir. “These misguided Tory MPs should know that India shares common values and ethos with the United Kingdom, unlike Pakistan, which is a religious State and systematically discriminate against her population based on religion and gender…”

I am saddened to learn that a few maverick Conservative Members of Parliament have relaunched the Conservative Friends of Kashmir unofficially to satisfy Kashmiri voters in their constituencies.

These Conservative Friends of Kashmir will attack India on her human rights record when they should know that the Government of India takes human rights as sacrosanct, and the Indian Constitution guarantees equality to all regardless of their race, religion and gender. The heart of governance is the rule of law with greater emphasis on human freedom.

The fact of the matter is that Pakistan has instigated the unrest in Kashmir after unsuccessfully trying to occupy Kashmir through 4 full-blown bloody wars. It is common knowledge that Pakistan is a sponsor of international terrorism and a haven for banned terrorist groups.

Pakistani Army is known to offer lavish hospitalities and then conveniently ask these Parliamentarians to compromise their democratic principles of upholding equality where everyone is equal regardless of race, religion and gender.  

Kashmiris are free to form political Parties and elect leaders of their choice and run Kashmir as they deem fit. However, they are not allowed to use religion to make their fellow Kashmiris and women second class at a stroke. It is time Kashmiris are encouraged to coexist and live in harmony like they do in every civilised country rather than trying to divide themselves and the nations based on their faith.

If religion had the strength to unite, then Bangladesh would still be a part of Pakistan, and every Muslim country would accord free movement of Muslims in their countries. Sadly the reality is somewhat different.

People always unite for a wrong cause of smash and grab, and once the reason is not there, then they turn on each other. More importantly, religion is a force for good. It is to unite humanity and not divide like the Pakistanis are doing.

These misguided Tory MPs should know that India shares common values and ethos with the United Kingdom, unlike Pakistan, which is a religious State and systematically discriminate against her population based on religion and gender. Pakistani constitution does not accord equality to every citizen as it promotes people based on faith and not merit.

These MPs should appreciate that the Conservative Party has evolved over a century with the visions and dedication of our great leaders like Margaret Thatcher and the British values like tolerance, equality and fair play cannot be compromised to the detriment of our next generations.

Every Britons should be encouraged to keep religion a private matter and never use it to generate hatred to damage social cohesion and race relation in Britain.

They are privileged to represent their Party and our rich and diverse country and to encourage people to use religion in the absence of merit will damage Britain as well as India.

They have to see how Pakistan has become intolerant over the years and how diversity is systematically being eliminated. Ahmaddiyas, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians are getting victimised daily in the name of their faith. No country can progress whilst holding back the progress of her citizens due to their belief.

These MPs can carry on serving the legitimate interests of your constituents but must avoid undermining the rule of law in Kashmir. They should be fair and firm with their members and learn to represent every Briton and not just a handful of Kashmiris.

They should learn from the Labour Friends of Kashmir how their anti-India rhetoric drove the British Indian vote to the Conservative Party and help the Conservative win a majority in the last election.

The British Indians now consider themselves to be true Conservatives and are abandoning the Labour Party in droves. Instead of capitalising on Labour’s mistake, they are following them by relaunching the Conservative Friends of Kashmir and scoring own goals for their Party and country. I hope good sense will prevail, and they will stop dividing their Party and country by supporting a clandestine organisation which does not have the blessings of the Government or the Party.

Also Read: India stages walkout after Imran rakes up Kashmir at UNGA